Great Wall International Music Academy announces 12th season from July 20 to August 10, 2016 in Beijing.

Welcome to the 12th season of the Great Wall International Music Academy. We have enjoyed more than a decade of cultural exchange; we have been surrounded by fabulous talents and played excellent concerts in Beijing's most prestigious concert halls. Many young artists from the US, from Europe, and from Australia have made music with their Chinese friends, and many superb Chinese string players have joined us at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and other major music schools in the Western Hemisphere. We have watched many of our young artists mature into excellent professional positions in China and around the globe. This is truly a moment to be grateful for all the generous help that was given to us over the years and to reflect on our work of the past decade. It is also a good time to contemplate and plan how to go forward with the most promising design of our Academy.

The world and China was a different place a 12 years ago. Frequency and opportunity to travel has increased, the Chinese Yuan has become a strong international currency, and China has lived through a historically unprecedented rate of growth and opportunity. China has become the world's showcase for architecture, city planning, and public transportation. Commensurate with this progress, the cost of living in important Chinese cities has become equal to other urban centers around the world. All these changes have an impact on our mission and organization.

This year, several young artists will again receive the distinction of being named "Great Wall Scholars". These prestigious fellowships will include a full tuition scholarship, teaching and coaching instruction and responsibilities, as well as opportunities to rehearse and perform chamber music in concerts with our world-class faculty. In addition, our chamber orchestra, the Great Wall Soloists, will perform in concerts on other continents in future seasons.

In January of 2016 Kurt Sassmannshaus, founder and president of the Great Wall International Music Academy will travel to the best conservatories in China, including Beijing, Wuhan, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Chengdu, to personally audition young artists for next summer's Academy. Online applications are available now at www.greatwallacademy.org.

The Sassmannshaus Tradition method has been Europe's best selling beginning violin method for over 30 years. It is now available in English, and the translator and co-author Prof. Kurt Sassmannshaus is offering this teacher training seminar to show how the unique aspects of this method can be taught. The method is groundbreaking in its approach for very young children. It features large print and teaches note reading from the first lesson. It focuses on early position playing and introduces advanced left hand and bow technique with familiar musical material. You can become a certified teacher by attending this intensive weekend workshop in Ellicott City presented by ASTA MD/DC.

Sat. October 24, 2015 9:30-5:00 and Sun. October 25, 2015 10:00-12:00

4222 Club Court, Ellicott City, MD 21042

The workshop will include lectures and demonstrations by Kurt Sassmannshaus including the newly published Recital Albums for Violin

Great Wall International Music Academy announces 11th season from July 18 to August 8, 2015 in Beijing.

Welcome to the 11th season of the Great Wall International Music Academy. We have enjoyed a decade of cultural exchange; we have been surrounded by fabulous talents and played excellent concerts in Beijing’s most prestigious concert halls. Many young artists from the US, from Europe, and from Australia have made music with their new Chinese friends, and many superb Chinese string players have joined us at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. We have seen many of our young artists gain excellent professional engagements in China and around the globe. This is truly a moment to be grateful for all the generous help that was given to us over the years and to reflect on our work of the past decade. It is also a good time to contemplate and plan how to go forward with the most promising design of our Academy.

The world and China was a different place ten years ago. Frequency and opportunity to travel has increased, the Chinese Yuan has become a strong international currency, and China has lived through a historically unprecedented rate of growth and opportunity. China has become the world’s showcase for architecture, city planning, and public transportation. Commensurate with this progress, the cost of living in important Chinese cities has become equal to any metropolis around the world.

To position the Great Wall International Music Academy in this environment we were able to refocus our mission of Educating the Next Generation of Classical Soloists, and develop a sustainable financial model for the next decade. This required a higher tuition cost, but thanks to our generous donors, we are able to award considerably more talent scholarship than in the past. This will insure that the financial background of the best talents will not stand in the way of the education they deserve.

Several young artists will receive the distinction of being named “Great Wall Scholars”. These prestigious fellowships will include a full tuition scholarship, teaching and coaching instruction and responsibilities, as well as opportunities to rehearse and perform chamber music in concerts with our world-class faculty. In addition, our chamber orchestra, the Great Wall Soloists, will perform in concerts on other continents in future seasons.

In December of 2014, Kurt Sassmannshaus, founder and president of the Great Wall International Music Academy will travel to the best conservatories in China, including Beijing, Xi’an, Wuhan, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Chengdu, to personally audition young artists for next summer’s Academy.